Anti-rejection drug prices cut by 65%

Pune: For a patient in need of an organ transplant, finding the right donor and undergoing the procedure is just half the battle won. Thereafter, living with the foreign organ comes with a huge price tag in way of immunosuppressants or anti-rejection drugs which the recipient has to depend on for the rest of his life.

In a huge respite for such patients, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has reduced the rates of these drugs, with the cost of most-widely used Tacrolimus being slashed by 60-65%.

"The packages for heart and liver transplant is somewhere between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 30 lakh. Despite spending so much, the patients have to spend Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 every month on anti-rejection drugs. NPPA move will certainly bring down post-transplant financial burden on patients," said heart transplant surgeon Sanjeev Jadhav.

Sharing his view, liver transplant physician Sheetal Dhadphale Mahajani said, "Treatment cost after organ transplant is exorbitant. Patients require medicines for the rest of their lives. The cost of Tacrolimus has been reduced considerably now, which will be a huge relief for patients and their families. This will definitely give a boost to organ transplantation in the country."

However, the biggest concern for surgeons is that recipients often tend to take medication rather casually as they start to feel better and resume routine activities. "Most patients spend a lot of money on the transplant. Many of these, however, tend to approach a lax attitude towards the anti-rejection drugs, primarily due to the high cost involved. This is dangerous and can lead to the body rejecting the organ," Mahanjani added.

Kapil Ramlal Dangi, a chemist from Bibvewadi, said, "Ticrolimus comes in different dosages. It is a widely used capsule prescribed to organ transplant patients. The price of the plain capsules has reduced drastically which is going to bring down the overall after-surgery cost. But there is no change in price in prolonged release capsule of Ticrolimus. Besides, there is only marginal cut on prices of other immunosuppressive drugs, including Mycophenolate and Ciclsosporine. But they are relatively cheaper."